Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and State Minister for Planning and Development Hind Al-Subaih yesterday signed a new decree sharply raising charges on work permits and transfer of residence.

The decision raises the charge for a work permit for the first time from KD 2 to KD 50 and its renewal from KD 2 to KD 10. It also raises fees for transfer of work permit (residence or changing employer) from KD 10 to KD 50. The decision becomes effective from June 1.

According to the law, such charges are paid by the employers, but in practice, the majority of employers force their workers to pay these fees because of the lack of an effective monitoring system and penalties. The Public Authority for Civil Information increased charges for civil IDs from KD 2 to KD 5 from the beginning of April. Several other charges are expected to be raised soon.